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I'm super impressed. I have a Consumer Reports membership going back 25+ years, but I almost never use it unless I go to buy something. So maybe I'll log in onc

I'm super impressed. I have a Consumer Reports membership going back 25+ years, but I almost never use it unless I go to buy something. So maybe I'll log in once a year. I consider it a donation to them because I think they do good work. I would not have expected this type of app to come from them, but it makes me appreciate my membership even more!

nerdponx 3y ago
I'm not. Look at the privacy policy. Not only do they use all the usual vile e-stalking tactics, but they also share aggregated data with other companies. The whole thing is a data mining exercise to cross-link and identify the user accounts and devices of people who have become somewhat harder to track by other means. Sure, they're not sharing individual data records with other companies, but the conclusion that this is actually a consumer protection project is contradicted by the evidence.
- eagleinparadise 3y ago
  How does aggregated data sharing allow tech companies to cross-link and identify individual user accounts/devices? (I ask as I have no idea if that's what happens) I see language like: "We do not sell your personal information in a way that most people would think of as a sale. However, we do participate in online targeted advertising and use analytics which allows tech companies, in exchange for our use of their services, to use user information collected from our App to improve their own products and to improve the services they provide to others." and wonder what in the world that actually means? Are they gathering data like 30% of our users are iPhone 12+ users? Or something else?
  - nerdponx 3y ago
    I don't work in advertising so I can't say for certain what people do and don't do. But yes, that seems like one useful data point. But perhaps more interesting is the ability to determine that User X is trying to clear their data for Wayfair, Amazon, and Home Depot, but not Target and not Lowe's. I could imagine some interesting analysis with that data, even if only in aggregate. There's also no prohibition that I can see in the Privacy Policy against things like fingerprinting your device, building a shadow profile on you, and exposing that data via some API with an "anonymized" identifier. I suspect that the ability to determine something like "owner of mobile device 123455321 is privacy-conscious" might in and of itself be a useful feature for targeting ads.
  - rpdillon 3y ago
    Reading the table at https://permissionslipcr.com/privacy.php#Data%20Processing,%20Disclosure,%20Sale,%20and%20Sharing https://permissionslipcr.com/privacy.php#Data%20Processing,%..., they mention sharing individual data if the companies already have the data: > Data that advertising networks and social media companies already have about you, so they can identify you on their platform, such as your email address or user ID I think this falls under the 'usual e-stalking techniques' that GP mentions. Very surprised to see CU doing this.
- gingerlime 3y ago
  This feels very wrong, especially for such a service. I would personally trust https://yourdigitalrights.org/ https://yourdigitalrights.org/ much more. Plus it’s global. Disclosure: I donated a little and later met the founder of the nonprofit.

nerdponx 3y ago

I'm not. Look at the privacy policy. Not only do they use all the usual vile e-stalking tactics, but they also share aggregated data with other companies. The whole thing is a data mining exercise to cross-link and identify the user accounts and devices of people who have become somewhat harder to track by other means. Sure, they're not sharing individual data records with other companies, but the conclusion that this is actually a consumer protection project is contradicted by the evidence.

eagleinparadise 3y ago
How does aggregated data sharing allow tech companies to cross-link and identify individual user accounts/devices? (I ask as I have no idea if that's what happens) I see language like: "We do not sell your personal information in a way that most people would think of as a sale. However, we do participate in online targeted advertising and use analytics which allows tech companies, in exchange for our use of their services, to use user information collected from our App to improve their own products and to improve the services they provide to others." and wonder what in the world that actually means? Are they gathering data like 30% of our users are iPhone 12+ users? Or something else?
- nerdponx 3y ago
  I don't work in advertising so I can't say for certain what people do and don't do. But yes, that seems like one useful data point. But perhaps more interesting is the ability to determine that User X is trying to clear their data for Wayfair, Amazon, and Home Depot, but not Target and not Lowe's. I could imagine some interesting analysis with that data, even if only in aggregate. There's also no prohibition that I can see in the Privacy Policy against things like fingerprinting your device, building a shadow profile on you, and exposing that data via some API with an "anonymized" identifier. I suspect that the ability to determine something like "owner of mobile device 123455321 is privacy-conscious" might in and of itself be a useful feature for targeting ads.
- rpdillon 3y ago
  Reading the table at https://permissionslipcr.com/privacy.php#Data%20Processing,%20Disclosure,%20Sale,%20and%20Sharing https://permissionslipcr.com/privacy.php#Data%20Processing,%..., they mention sharing individual data if the companies already have the data: > Data that advertising networks and social media companies already have about you, so they can identify you on their platform, such as your email address or user ID I think this falls under the 'usual e-stalking techniques' that GP mentions. Very surprised to see CU doing this.
gingerlime 3y ago
This feels very wrong, especially for such a service. I would personally trust https://yourdigitalrights.org/ https://yourdigitalrights.org/ much more. Plus it’s global. Disclosure: I donated a little and later met the founder of the nonprofit.